


Top Chef

by siriusblackfanclub



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Cooking, Emotional Constipation, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, POV Teddy Lupin, Single Parents, Valentine's Day, goodboylupin's RS Candy Hearts Challenge, wolfstar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 07:21:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29432361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/siriusblackfanclub/pseuds/siriusblackfanclub
Summary: "Teddy had tried everything in his power to get out of it: pretending to be sick, trying to make plans with his best friend Matt, homework and purposefully trying to land himself in detention – but nothing worked. He was forced to go to dinner with his dad’s new motorcycle-riding, tattoo-wearing, no-job-having boyfriend. Teddy was completely and utterly fucked."Written for the RS Candy Hearts challenge 2021 :)
Relationships: Fleur Delacour/Nymphadora Tonks, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 5
Kudos: 96
Collections: The Candy Hearts Challenge





	Top Chef

**Author's Note:**

> my prompt was 'top chef', I went in a slightly different direction but I hope you all like it! follow @goodboylupin on tumblr for creating the amazing fest. i had a lot of fun creating this :)
> 
> this was also (very loosely) inspired by @casualmaraudering 's tumblr posts about a hellspawn teddy au, where teddy dislikes his dad's new boyfriend. follow them too!
> 
> finally, if you like this, come say hi to me on tumblr @siriuslyblack12 and check out some of my other works.

Teddy knew he wouldn’t have a good day as he woke up at 3am, unable to get back to sleep.

He wasn’t nervous - quite the opposite - but he could tell that his dad was. After years of not dating anyone ever since the divorce from his mum Tonks, Remus had finally found himself a boyfriend that he had invited for dinner that night. Teddy had tried everything in his power to get out of it: pretending to be sick, trying to make plans with his best friend Matt, homework and purposefully trying to land himself in detention – but nothing worked. He was forced to go to dinner with his dad’s new motorcycle-riding, tattoo-wearing, no-job-having boyfriend. Teddy was completely and utterly fucked.

It’s not that he wasn’t happy for his dad, he just couldn’t help but be protective over Remus. And that on top of everything he’d been told about this new boyfriend Sirius, which Remus had said with the biggest heart eyes but to Teddy had just put him off more, really didn’t give him the best impression. His dad just chalked his reluctance up to him being a moody teenager, which frustrated him to say the least. Why did Remus have to go out and find the most obnoxious boyfriend possible? And why did he have to drag Teddy into some happy family bullshit?

He was just settling down for an afternoon nap as he heard a sharp knock at his door and Remus enter, wearing his favourite red sweater and tan pants, “Ted, Sirius’ll be here in an hour! Have you even showered yet?”

“He’ll be here in an hour,” Teddy tried to reason. “I have plenty of time to get ready.”

“Now please,” His dad said with his best stern expression. He hated that expression. “You haven’t even cleaned your room, which I’ve been telling you to do for weeks!”

“It’s fine dad, it’s not like Sirius is going to see it,” Teddy replied, bored. 

Remus shook his head, fully stepping into the room and depositing a discarded t-shirt from the floor into the hamper in the corner. He seemed more stressed than usual, which was a feat considering Remus Lupin’s Constant State of Anxiety, as he pulled on loose strands of honey-brown hair. “That’s not the point.” He said between biting his lip. “I told you this was important to me, why don’t you get that?”

“I get it, I just don’t get why you’re up my arse! I’m doing the dinner, isn’t that enough?”

“You watch your language Edward Lupin!” Remus half-shouted, half-begged. The full name was rare, meaning his anger was rising. “What is this really about?”

Teddy rolled his eyes, “It’s not about anything! I said I’m doing the dinner.”

“You’ve got attitude,” The older man explained with weakening patience. “I’ve told you before and I’ll tell you again, this is really important to me. You’re a massive part of my life, and Sirius is now too, I want you two to get along.”

Another eye roll. “You’ve been dating him for a month, and now you say you’re madly in love with him? What next, you’re getting married next week and divorced the week after?”

Remus hesitated for a moment, taking a small and calming breath before sitting down on Teddy’s bed. He looked at his son directly and intently, studying the sleep-mussed mess of blue hair on his head and the state of the bedroom. Remus sighed, “This is about your mum.”

Teddy’s brows furrowed deep into his forehead, “This has nothing to do with mum. What are you talking about?”

“The only relationship you’ve been able to look up to is one that ended in a divorce, of course you’re insecure about a new one.” Remus explained rationally. “Listen, Ted-”

“I’m not insecure!” Teddy shouted, immediately regretting his tone. “I don’t care that you and mum aren’t together, I don’t care that I only see her once a month, I don’t care about any of this!”

“Maybe that’s the problem. You need something to care about,” His dad proposed. He was sat nearer to Teddy now, almost close enough to reach out and put a hand on his arm to steady him. He didn’t though, knowing about his son’s aversion to touch, rather resorting to a sympathetic look.

Teddy averted his gaze, “What the hell do you mean?”

“Language,” Remus reminded plainly. “I mean that you’ve been really quiet lately, in your room all the time, less excited about things you used to love. Maybe you need to find something that you do care about again.”

“Or maybe I’m just growing up and this is completely normal,” Teddy said sarcastically accompanied by yet another eye roll. He closed in on himself again, moving further away from his dad little by little and running a hand through the ocean blue mass of his hair. 

Remus studied him for a second, “I need to go get ready for Sirius, you need to too.” Standing up on two feet, he turned back around and sighed slightly. “But remember that if you ever need to talk, I’m here.”

“Ok, ok,” Teddy sing-songed.

“And please don’t where that old, tattered hoodie that Matt gave you, try to wear something a little smart.”

“Dad…” Teddy protested weakly. That hoodie made him feel safe, mainly because Matt made him feel safe, not that he’d ever admit that. After so much use it was almost in pieces, but Teddy still loved it all the same. It hadn’t lost its smell quite yet.

Remus was already out of the door and halfway down the hallway, but he shouted back anyway, “You’ll be fine.”

He most certainly was not fine.

The rest of the hour was spent getting up and stretching languidly; showering; blow-drying his hair; tugging on a pair of mismatch socks, ripped jeans and his nicest sweatshirt; just about making it down in time for 5 o’clock. Was he taking his time on purpose? No one could say. Did his dad notice his lack of punctuality? Kind of. Remus was perceptive, although rather clueless when it came to his son and his feelings. Teddy bounded down the stairs to find him stood in their kitchen, hands clasped in those of a man.

This man was everything Teddy feared he would be: ruggedly handsome and stupid-looking. He wore a pair of black jeans, scarily similar to his own, with a plain black t-shirt and black boots. There was what looked like a leather jacket draped over the side of the chair next to him, causing Teddy to grimace slightly. Long haired and bright blue-eyed, he seemed the exact opposite of his high school professor, sweater pawed father. This contrast was only emphasised by the two gazing into one another eyes, his dad kind and soft around the edges and this other man intense and passionate. Teddy was about to walk back out until he was (unfortunately) spotted by Remus.

He called out to his son, dropping the man’s hands in favour of gesturing for Teddy to sit with them at the kitchen table. He did so cautiously, eyes not leaving the face of the unfamiliar man the entire time, and took his usual seat. His hands were balled up in his sweatshirt anxiously, a habit he clearly shared with his father based on his own fidgeting hands, as he studied the two of them. The man must have noticed Teddy’s watchful gaze as he turned to Remus for support.

“Teddy, this is my boyfriend Sirius,” He introduced politely and peacefully. “Sirius, this is my son Teddy.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Sirius offered with a hint of excitement to his deep voice, extending his hand. Teddy didn’t shake it. “Your dad has told me a lot about you.”

Teddy narrowed his eyes even further at that, any more and he’d be squinting. “Has he?”

Sirius looked confused but didn’t say anything, “Yeah, sure. I love your hair by the way.”

Though he’d always taken pride in his hair, in that moment Teddy didn’t like it. He brought a hand up to his head self-consciously, “You do?”

Sirius nodded in affirmation, “It’s cool. Punk rock.”

There was a moment of silence that followed – it felt more like an hour in the awkwardness of it – where everyone did nothing but look at each other. Teddy hadn’t quite figured out Sirius’ ulterior motive yet, but he was almost certain there was something he wasn’t seeing. The older man looked back at him, visibly confused and slightly nervous. Why would he be nervous if he truly liked Remus? Teddy thought that only confirmed his suspicions.

Remus coughed into his elbow slightly to break the silence, “Ted, why don’t you set the table while I get tea ready?”

“Do I have to?” Teddy grumbled.

A look of indignation crossed his father’s face, “Yes, Teddy, I asked you to.”

“Yes, dad.”

He got up out of his seat with laboured movement and he could have sworn he saw Sirius snigger behind his hand. Walking between the cutlery draw and their dining table, he deposited knives and forks with as little grace as possible. He could vaguely hear the conversation of Remus and Sirius in the kitchen and ducked his head to eavesdrop. 

“He doesn’t like me,” He heard Sirius complain quietly. It wasn’t that quiet, considering his obvious loud and extroverted personality, but it was quiet enough for Teddy to have to move closer to the hatch between the kitchen and dining room.

He heard an indistinct noise from Remus, “Sometimes he takes a while to warm up to people, try not to take it too personally. I’m sure he’ll come around.”

“I don’t know, Re, he seemed really upset by it all,” He complained once again. Teddy almost smiled at the whining tone. “I really wanted him to like me.”

“I know, love.” _Gross,_ Teddy thought. “Just try and hang on, I promise it’ll be okay.” 

His father’s words were kind and lenient, just like him most of the time. Teddy wanted to believe he’d found a person who was just as kind as he was, but something was compelling him to not think that person was not Sirius. There were a few more words he couldn’t quite make out, some rustling of pans and shoulders brushing against one another.

“I have to admit, you being all bossy and assertive does something to me,” He heard Sirius almost purr. _Even more gross._

“Really?” His father asked teasingly. “You like it?”

“I like you, love.” Sirius responded. “I like everything about you, love it even.” _Gross, gross, gross, gross._

Teddy could almost feel the roll of his father’s eyes through the wall, knowing him so well, “I like you too. Maybe I love you, who knows?” _GROSS._

Not being able to stand anymore sappiness, Teddy rounded the corner and burst into the kitchen to meet them before he heard something he did not want to hear. They jumped apart, though from their positions Teddy guessed they’d been kissing shortly before. Sirius’ long dark hair was slightly mussed and his father’s golden curls were much the same. Smiling sheepishly, they both looked at him in return.

“Dinner’s ready!” Remus busied himself in the silence.

Remus had made a chicken pasta bake, which Teddy had to admit was one of his favourite meals. It looked appealing sat on his plate, the view of the couple across from him not doing anything to help. Every so often their hands would brush, and Teddy caught them smile shyly at each other before eating another mouthful. Sirius talked – or flirted shamelessly rather – the entire time to Remus’ blushed cheeks and embarrassment. They were rather cute, _gross_ , but cute. 

“So Teddy,” Sirius started between mouthfuls. “Your mum lives in France, right? Pretty cool.”

Teddy tried to look anywhere but Sirius’ face, settling on his half-finished plate, “Yeah, yeah, I guess.”

“Tonks and Fleur are getting married in Paris in the summer, I’m just excited to get away from the UK for a week,” Remus explained, laughing slightly.

Sirius seemed to consider that for a moment, a moment in which their hands brushed once again. This time they didn’t let go though, rather they let their joined hands rest atop the table. “Do you miss having your mum in this country?” He asked Teddy. “And your step-mum?”

“I guess so,” Teddy said. He desperately tried to make his answers as short as possible to avoid further questioning. He hated questions.

“I suppose going on trips to France is fun thought, right?” Sirius supposed.

“I guess.”

He met Remus’ eyes for a second, as if to scold him for impoliteness, but it would be even more impolite to do that. 

“So,” Remus started, avoiding that conversation. “Does everyone like the food?”

Teddy and Sirius nodded in agreement, the latter exclaiming once again around a mouthful of food, “You’re a top chef!”

Remus blushed and murmured a thanks, to which Sirius held his hand with more vigour. Both of them were left to try and eat with one hand, but neither of them seemed to mind too much about that. “It’s great, dad.”

Remus seemed pleased with himself as he smiled at the two of them, their mismatch family and complicated feelings. Sirius continued to ask him random questions about whatever he could come up with, Teddy continued to give one words answers, Remus continued to at least try and make some peace, things were exactly as they should have been.

After they ate Teddy’s dad insisted on watching a film, all three of them huddled close on their small couch. Sirius sat on the furthest end, one arm around Remus’ waist and his head rested atop of his boyfriend’s _(extra gross)_ as Remus cuddled into his side. Teddy sat at the other end, as far away from them as possible with his knees folded into his chest. It was some romantic comedy that he wasn’t particularly interested in, and neither were the two adults judging by their occasional giggles with preoccupation. 

Remus cooed as the two main characters finally leaned in to kiss each other, “Aw! I knew they’d end up together.”

“The poster literally shows them kissing, dad.” Teddy reminded him lightly.

“I don’t care, it’s cute,” Remus insisted, earning a laugh from Sirius. The man in question placed a kiss to his forehead (the grossness was getting a little overwhelming at this point). “Don’t you think they’re cute together, Ted?”

Teddy thought for a second, studying the two men in front of him before diverting his gaze to the screen, “I suppose they’re cute, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

“What do you mean?” His dad asked.

“Maybe I think the guy would have been better off with the girlfriend he had at the beginning.”

Remus was smart, that he knew for a fact, but he wasn’t smart enough to realise exactly what Teddy was talking about, “But why? They didn’t love each other.”

“But what about the people in his life? They’d all gotten used to them together, when they broke up it really affected me-… the other people in the movie.”

Remus put two and two together at this point, “It’s normal for you- the people in the movie - to feel like that, but you have to consider what’s best for me – the main guy in the movie. Besides, his girlfriend from the start is in another happy relationship.”

“Not happy for me! I don’t even see her!” Teddy shouted. It seemed Sirius still wasn’t clued in on their metaphor considering the shock on his face.

“Teddy, you said you didn’t care about that,” Remus now untangled himself from Stupid Boyfriend to look at Teddy in concern. “Does it really bother you that much? Your mum and Fleur? Me and Sirius?”

Teddy vaguely heard Sirius protest in the background, but wasn’t paying attention, “I- I don’t know. Just leave me alone!”

“Teddy…” Remus drawled. “Come on, talk to me.”

“I said leave me alone!” Teddy shouted again, storming off up to his bedroom. He didn’t care to eavesdrop into the inevitable stern conversation between Remus and Sirius, which would have been hard with his head buried into his pillow. Internally, he scolded himself for being so rude, but it didn’t have much conviction. He couldn’t help the pain that came with thinking of his parents being happier without each other, as far away from each other as possible really, and finding love with the worst possible people they could have picked. When he’d first met Fleur Delacour, his mother’s new French girlfriend, he’d been as excited and enthusiastic as a ten-year-old would be, but that had quickly faded as they didn’t get along. It wasn’t that she wasn’t nice, she just wasn’t as welcoming and kind as he’d anticipated, and his perfect family was slowly falling apart.

He’d learnt not to get his hopes up for Sirius, which he didn’t, that way there’d be no disappointment when this little family didn’t work out. When Tonks and Remus took one look at 8-year-old Teddy and decided they weren’t hopelessly in love like they thought they were. His dad deserved someone who would be with him for the rest of time, grow old with him, love him, care for him and make a good step-mum or dad for Teddy. Sirius was cute with his dad, sure, but didn’t seem like the kind of person to fill the hole in his heart.

At some point into the night, a knock at his door brought him out of his thoughts, “Ted, can I come in?”

His dad’s voice was an anchor to his spiralling mind, “No.”

“Sirius has gone home,” Remus said from the other side of the door. “We need to talk about this, Ted.”

“I don’t want to,” Teddy insisted plainly.

He heard his dad sigh, probably running a hand over his face, before continuing, “I know that it’s hard to see your parents divorce and get with other people, but that was a little unfair. I like Sirius, he likes me, and he makes me really happy. I haven’t felt like this in years, probably since I met your mum, and I really like it. Why don’t you see that?”

Teddy was struck dumb for what to say. He sat up on his bed, pulling Matt’s hoodie – putting it on was the first thing he did when he got into his bedroom – tighter around himself and frowning. “I’m sorry.” He said weakly.

“There’s no need to apologise, Ted, really. I’m sorry for not considering how you were feeling about all this change. Can I come in and talk to you now?

Teddy felt claustrophobic in the wide space of his own bedroom, “Not right now, dad. Maybe tomorrow.”

“We need to talk about this, we can’t keep avoiding it, please,” His father begged from just outside the door. He was never the most confrontational, but now he sounded as though he was. That was different.

Teddy said no once again, to which Remus finally gave up, “Ok, get some sleep. We’ll talk in the morning, ok?”

“Ok, dad.”

“I love you.”

“Ok, dad.”

He could almost hear the roll of his dad’s eyes, “Say it back, please.”

“I love you too, dad.”

They didn’t talk the next morning, Teddy coming up with some excuse that he was meeting Matt for an early morning bike ride. That wasn’t completely a lie, they were planning on going out that day, though Matt did complain loudly about having to get up early. He just couldn’t stand facing his dad with his state of emotional constipation. 

Over the next few weeks, Teddy continuously coming up with excuse after excuse to not talk, Sirius came over to their house a lot more often. Sometimes he came over for full meals, always complimenting Remus as a “top chef” and a few times cooking a pile of steaming shit himself (at least, that was Teddy’s opinion). Sometimes he just dropped by for a minute or two before meeting his friends or stayed for an afternoon with Remus. On those occasions, Teddy tried to retreat into the comfort of his own bedroom. They didn’t seem to mind, once or twice Teddy even had the misfortune of walking in on the two kissing on the sofa or in the kitchen or in the hallway or really anywhere in their small home. 

A similar thing had happened that very day, Teddy just going into the kitchen for an innocent mid-afternoon snack as he walked in to find Sirius perched atop their counter with Remus between his legs. They jumped apart almost immediately, Remus coughing into his hand as he fixed his jumper and Sirius running a hand thought his own hair to straighten it. Teddy no longer seemed to have an appetite, though neither did his dad by the looks of things. 

To break the silence, Remus tried to plaster a smile onto his face, “I’m just going to the bathroom. Teddy, the crisps are in the bottom cupboard if that’s what you were looking for.”

And suddenly, for the first time ever, Teddy was alone with his dad’s idiot of a boyfriend. He ignored him for as long as possible, busying himself with taking far too long to pick a packet of cheese and onion crisps. Sirius also seemed to not know what to do with himself, now standing awkwardly rather than sitting.

He cleared his throat unceremoniously, “So Teddy… how’s school?”

“Good.”

“That’s good, I’m glad,” Sirius tried and failed to make sound convincing. “Anything interesting happen recently?”

“No.”

That answer most likely displeased Sirius as he started, “Well, when I was in school-”

“Are you serious about my dad?”

Sirius blinked, taken aback, “What? What do you mean?”

“Are you serious about your relationship with my dad? You’re not just planning on leaving us as soon as you get bored of him?”

The look of shock on Sirius’ face could have had a million meanings, and of course Teddy went for the most pessimistic one. Despite this, Sirius spoke with conviction and without hesitation, “Of course I’m serious about him. I’m not leaving any time soon. I’m not like that.”

“And you’re happy with him?” Teddy questioned with his arms folded over his chest.

“I am, yeah,” Sirius said with a slight nervous cough. His hands fiddled with the bottom of his t-shirt as he waited for the judgement of this 15-year-old boy.

Teddy continued, “He told me you make him happy too.”

“I’m glad, that’s all I try to do,” Sirius was more confident with himself after Teddy’s words.

A small smile ghosted Teddy’s lips, a rush of power surging to his head, “If you hurt him, I’ll kill you myself.”

Sirius’ eyes widened, but he calmed down quickly, “I’d never want to hurt him.”

“Good.”

The staring contest between the two of them began, though their eyes were much more playful than murderous, which was an improvement to their relationship. Remus interrupted as he stepped through the door of the kitchen just in time, rustling Teddy’s hair on the way to kiss Sirius’ cheek. Gross, but this time Teddy supposed it was more cute than that.

“So what did you guys talk about?” Remus asked innocently.

Both Teddy and Sirius smiled, and it was Teddy that answered, “You know, just how good of a chef you are.”


End file.
